Dong Ho folk painting village

Unit 3: Dong Ho folk painting village I Pre-reading task Can you name some popular folk painting currents in Vietnam? What is the most long- standing folk painting line in Vietnam? How many kinds of folk painting are there? What are they? What you know about folk painting in Vietnam? What you know about the history of folk print making in Dong Ho village? II Reading Dong Ho painting Dong Ho village belongs to Thuan Thanh district, Bac Ninh province, not far from Hanoi During the prosperous period of folk prints, Dong Ho village used to produce up to millions of prints every year to meet the need of population This amount was indeed very high in comparison with the number of producers According to the old villagers, there were about 120 households in the village, and 100 of them were engaged in producing folk prints In each family, there was a master craftsman Every day he assigned tasks to each member of the family Each stage of production was undertaken by a member In the evening, after dinner, the prints were packed to the market for sale One member of the family carried on printing until midnight The Nguyen Dang in the village have maintained their craft for twenty generations Nowadays, you can meet Mr Nguyen Dang Che, a famous artist and producer of Dong Ho folk prints He keeps a collection of ancient woodblocks surviving fires and war For each print there are separate woodblocks; each woodblock is used for one color The printing is made on paper covered with white diep powder obtained from the shell of a species of mollusk, or color with yellow obtained from Sophora Japonica The themes of Dong Ho folk prints are various: - Prints with subjects taken from legends and tales: The God of Mountain, the God of Water, Thach Sanh, Saint Giong, and Kieu, etc - Prints about historical personages: Lady Trung, Lady Trieu, General Tran Hung Dao, Ngo Quyen, De Tham, etc - Prints about daily life: Picking coconut, scene of jealousy, agricultural production, children and grandchildren, etc - Prints about landscapes, entertainments, games: Beautiful girls, four seasons (spring, Summer, Autumn, and winter), flying kites, swings, etc - Religious prints for worship: Lord Cong, Lord Tao, kitchen gods, etc These are ancient prints Recently, many artisans have produced new themes such as: “The three responsibilities”, “Repairing roads under the enemy’s bomb”, “The capture of General De Castries at Dien Bien Phu”, “Shooting at American planes”, “Digging canals” and others In the past, the folk print market at Dong Ho was held at the Communal House, five days a month: on the sixth, 11 th, 16th, 21st, and 26th days of the lunar calendar, attracting a lot of wholesale customers Besides, the folk print festival was held in the 12th lunar month every year to commemorate the Tutelary God of the village and to display the products of various families Artisans from this guild came to other places and have thus created different branches of Dong Ho style such as Phuong Liet, Hang Bun, Buoi, Chem (Ha Noi), Binh Giang (Hai Hung), Mong Phu, Canh, Dien, Hoai Duc (Ha Tay), Yen The, Pho Thang, Dinh Bang (Ha Nam), Tho Tang, Phu Ninh, Lap Thach (Vinh Phu), Hang Nau (Nam Dinh, Nam Ha), Nam Dan (Nghe An) In some localities in Viet Bac and Tay Bac, there are artisans coming from Dong Ho They produce pictures for worship according to the requirement of local customers III Vocabulary Words and phrases to remember Prosperous assign historical personage In comparison with task jealousy Folk print stage of production landscape Woodblock separate entertainment Be engaged in obtain religious prints Master craftsmen mollusk theme Canal wholesale customers commemorate Tutelary god Exercises I Match each word or phrase in the column on the left with its meaning in the column on the right A woodblock separate religious mollusk prosperous commemorate assign indeed ancient 10 collection B a in fortunate circumstances financially; moderately rich b select something or someone for a specific purpose c engraving consisting of a block of wood with a design cut into it; used to make prints d in truth (often tends to intensify) e having or showing belief in and reverence for a deity f the act of gathering something together g standing apart; not attached to or supported by anything h invertebrate having a soft unsegmented body usually enclosed in a shell i be or provide a memorial to a person or an event j very old II Fill in the blanks with one of the following words or phrases engaged diep powder guild communal house comparison maintained producer folk prints packed tutelary god During the prosperous period of folk prints, Dong Ho village used to produce up to millions of prints every year to meet the need of population This amount was indeed very high in ………… with the number of producers The printing is made on paper covered with white …………… obtained from the shell of a species of mollusk, or color with yellow obtained from Sophora Japonica 3 In the past, the folk print market at Dong Ho was held at the ………………., five days a month: on the sixth, 11th, 16th, 21st, and 26th days of the lunar calendar, attracting a lot of wholesale customers During the prosperous period of ………… , Dong Ho village used to produce up to millions of prints every year to meet the need of population According to the old villagers, there were about 120 households in the village, and 100 of them were …………… in producing folk prints Nowadays, you can meet Mr Nguyen Dang Che, a famous artist and ………… of Dong Ho folk prints In the evening, after dinner, the prints were ………… to the market for sale One member of the family carried on printing until midnight Besides, the folk print festival was held in the 12 th lunar month every year to commemorate the …………… of the village and to display the products of various families Artisans from this ………… came to other places and have thus created different branches of Dong Ho style such as Phuong Liet, Hang Bun, Buoi, Chem (Ha Noi), Binh Giang (Hai Hung),etc 10 The Nguyen Dang in the village have ………… their craft for twenty generations IV Questions for discussion What are the distinctive features of Dong Ho folk painting? What you know about Dong Ho village? What you know about Gio paper (usages and characteristics)? Make a comparison between Dong Ho, Kim Hoang and Hang Trong painting? What are the popular themes of Dong Ho folk prints? V Using English Passive Study this example from the reading Each stage of production was undertaken by a member ‘was undertaken’ and ‘were packed’ are passive Compare active and passive: A member undertake each stage of production Object Each stage of production was undertaken by a member Subject • We use an active verb to say what the subject does E.g: My grandfather was a builder He built this house in 1930 • We use a passive verb to say what happens to the subjects E.g: This house is quite old It was built in 1930 • When we use the passive, who or what causes the action is often unknown or unimportant • If we want to say who does or what causes the action, we use by… E.g: This house was built by my grandfather • The passive is be + the past participle Exercise Change these following sentences into passive (if necessary) People make the prints by brushing paint made of local material onto carved woodblocks, then pressing the blocks on paper They use three to five colours to make each print They use prints to carry on the cultural history of Vietnam, passed on at the welcoming of each Lunar New Year to younger generations through story telling Mr Nguyen Huu Sam and Mr Nguyen Dang Che, two famous masters of Dong Ho folk painting, who are still living in Dong Ho village make these painting People believe that worship paintings have to have developed during the 11th century as a means of popularizing the ideology of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism amongst the common folk of the Red River Delta Artisans from Đông Hồ village in what is now Bắc Ninh Province first produced folk prints depicting non-religious themes such as local stories, myths and legends or representing scenes from everyday life in the 14th and 15th centuries 7 However The Việt; important centers at this time included Hàng Trống in the center of Hà Nội and Kim Hoàng on the outskirts of the city, Kim Bảng in the former Hà Đong Province, Sinh on the outskirts of Huế and of course Đông Hồ, several households of which continue to practice the ancient craft even today, continued to produce the greatest variety of woodblock prints Each person has their own fate and each year’s genies protect and help them therefore people want to worship to drive away the bad and welcome the good that leads to the birth of the print making of Sinh Village People worship the painting depicting Genie Cuu Thien Huyen Nu at the lady worshiping room After a year the painting is burnt and replaced by a new one 10 Local people make the paper from the bark of the vine-line Do tree by hand, and then they coat it with a glossy silver-white substance from pulverized seashells VI Practical exercises Translation Translate into Vietnamese Woodblock printing Woodblock printing is a time-honoured art form which holds a special place in Việt Nam's cultural history It is believed originally to have developed during the 11th century as a means of popularising the ideology of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism amongst the common folk of the Red River Delta During the later years of the Lý era (1010-1225), woodblock prints based exclusively on religious themes were produced by the villages of Hồng Lục and Liễu Chàng in what is now Hải Dương Province, and thereafter pagodas such as Phật tích and Bút Tháp (modern Bắc Ninh Province) also began to produce their own devotional prints Folk prints depicting non-religious themes such as local stories, myths and legends or representing scenes from everyday life were first produced in the 14th and 15th centuries by artisans from Đông Hồ village in what is now Bắc Ninh Province The popularity of the Đông Hồ prints spread quickly - very soon traders came to the village every year before Tết (Vietnamese New Year) to purchase the prints and distribute them throughout the country The art of woodblock printing reached its peak during the 18th and 19th centuries, by which time it had also become popular amongst numerous ethnic minority groups, including the Tày, the Nung, the H'mong and the Dao However the greatest variety of woodblock prints continued to be produced by the Việt; important centres at this time included Hàng Trống in the centre of Hà Nội and Kim Hoàng on the outskirts of the city, Kim Bảng in the former Hà Đong Province, Sinh on the outskirts of Huế and of course Đông Hồ, several households of which continue to practice the ancient craft even today Typically, Vietnamese woodblock prints are executed with a coarse but lively technique in bold, clear outlines The design is first drawn and then carved into a wooden block The latter is then covered in paint and the image printed on dó (poonah) paper, a style of paper used widely in Việt Nam which is coated with white powder made from baked shell Finally the print is coloured with natural materials, including black from charcoal, red from ochre, brown from yam and yellow from lily flower pollen Historically, creativity in the carving of woodblocks was discouraged Instead, their primary purpose was to relate a well-loved and well-known story or theme Since the emphasis was on recognition rather than artistry, older Vietnamese prints rarely carried the name of the artist Instead, they bore the name of the location where they were produced During the course of the 20th century the techniques of traditional Vietnamese woodblock printing were adapted for use in modern art Speaking -Your teacher will give you some pictures of Dong Ho folk painting village in Vietnam Comment on those pictures - Put the pictures in an order of your choice then give a commentary on them Writing Punctuate the following article The origin of Vietnamese folk prints Many researcher holds that folk prints as a genre of art came into being in Vietnam under Ly dynasty (1010-1225) it developed strongly under the Ho dynasty (1400-1407) and the Posterior Le (1533-1788) in parallel with the circulation of paper money and the prosperity of Buddhism In 1396 at the end of the Tran dynasty Ho Quy Ly (1336-1407) ordered the circulation of paper money called “Thong bao Hoi Sao” the notes bore different drawings according to their value water plants waves clouds and four Noble Animals (tortoise unicorn phoenix and dragon) etc the drawings were of high artistic value the techniques of engraving were refined Some decades later Luong Nhu Loc (from Hai Duong province) who was a laureate of a civil service exam under Le Thanh Tong’reign (1434-1442) during a diplomatic mission to the Chinese court of the Mong learnt the Chinese technique of wood engraving later he taught this craftsmanship to his fellow countrymen in Hong Luc and Lieu Trang so Luong Nhu Loc became the “founding ancestor” of wood block printing the renovation in book printing exerted influence on wood block prints that is why in the 15th century this craft recorded an important step forward In the 17th century folk prints developed strongly they were not only appreciated by commoners but also by the aristocracy the same progress was recorded in the 18th century everywhere communal houses and temples were built a few hundred years after Taoism was introduced in to Vietnam pictures of fairies saints goddesses masters were produced to be dedicated to Taoist and Buddhist temples During the French colonial period because of the influence of war and high taxes this craft came to a standstill after the August Revolution (1945) many villages had to shift to other crafts however Dong Ho was the only village which managed to maintained its craft of producing folk prints 1.2 Topic: Give a general introduction to Dong Ho village Student may choose some of these following aspects: - location of Dong Ho village - ancient name of Dong Ho - materials and printing technique - artisans in the village - regular markets - Dong Ho village at present Unit 4: Bat Trang pottery village I Pre-reading task Can you name some famous pottery villages in Vietnam? Are there any other names for this village, apart from the name of Bat trang? How old is the village? When was the village called Bat Trang? Who was the ancestor of Bat Trang pottery village? Can you name some popular pottery items of Bat Trang? II Reading Bat trang traditional handicraft village Bat Trang traditional pottery village is 10km from Hanoi capital toward the South East of Hanoi From the central Hanoi, passing Chuong Duong bridge or Vinh Tuy Bridge, along the dike of Red River until you see the signboard “Warmly welcome to Bat Trang traditional pottery village” then turn right, Bat Trang pottery village is one kilometers from the signboard History-culture of the craft village There are many legends about the establishment of Bat Trang pottery village, one of the most concerned of which is that: Bat Trang pottery village is established from Ly-Tran dynasty by the combination of famous families of Bo Bat village namely: Tran, Vuong, Nguyen, Le, Pham with Nguyen Ninh Trang – the first family came to Bat Trang In 1010, Ly Thai To King moved to the capital from Hoa Lu to Thang Long During that time, in Truong Yen (Hoa Lu), there is a brick production village A foreman of Nguyen family – named Nguyen Ninh Trang, whose homeland was in Truong Yen (Hoa Lu) stayed in Bat Trang and started with production of the first Bat Trang bricks Those bricks are made from apyrous clay and fire at very high temperature The bricks are used to construct the foundation for palace in Royal Citadel (if you have a chance to visit Thang Long Royal Citadel heritage, you will see the foundation of more than 20m long, 0.7-1m high, 60cm wide which was constructed from two lays of bricks in forthright and well-proportioned way without any moss Those are all Bat Trang bricks) According to the legend, villagers in Bo Bat village (or previously Bach Bat – Yen Mo district – Truong Son – Thanh Hoa, now belongs to Yen Thanh commune, Tam Diep district, Ninh Binh province) had specialized in pottery for a long time When Ly Thai To King moved the capital to Thang Long, Thang Long became a politic center of Dai Viet Several pottery producers emigrated here with Nguyen Ninh Trang family to build the pottery kiln, which was called Bach tho ward (White Earth) The following emigrations made Bat Trang from a normal pottery village become a famous pottery center Villagers in Bo Bat and Truong Yen agreed to name the village as Bat Trang after the name of Nguyen family- the person who made great contribution to the village establishment (Nguyen Ninh Trang) in Truong Yen The name of Bat Trang was first known during Ly-Tran dynasty Ly- Tran dynasty Regarding the origin of pottery in Bat Trang, there is another legend saying that in the Ly dynasty, there were three scholars: Hua Vinh Kieu (or Cao), Dao Tri Tien, Luu Phuong Tu (or Luu Vinh Phong) These were sent to the North “Tong” as the King’s envoy When they came back to the country via Shao Zhou (Guangdong), due to a bad story, thay had to stay overnight in a famous pottery village and had the chance to learn the craft and then later taught the residents in the country Hua Vinh Kieu showed Bat Trang’s residents how to make the cracked white enamel Dao Tri Tien taught Tho Ha’s resident (in Viet Yen district, Bac Giang province) the trade of making the yellow enamel Luu Phuong Tu told Phu Lang’s locals (Que Vo district, Bac Ninh province) the art of making the deep red-yellowish enamel The above legend is also told in Tho Ha and Phu Lang with a little difference about the details According to this legend, Bat Trang pottery village is established during Ly Dynasty equals to North Tong Dynasty before 1127 Throughout thousands years of the history, Bat Trang has been a famous pottery village of Thang Long – Ha Noi In order to have a long and strong vitality, Bat Trang villagers should have a love with traditional pottery craft together with the career and sensitiveness to the art With the love and devotion to the career, generations of Bat Trang craftsmen have been constantly creative to maintain and develop the traditional craft of their ancestors The craftsmen Dao Van Can has created the art of cracked enamel of Viet ancient pottery, the craftsmen Le Van Can, Le Van Cam and Nguyen Van Khieu have made great contribution with their knowledge, experienced in restoration of enamel samples of ancient Bat Trang pottery Such performance and creativeness of the elder Bat Trang craftsmen as well as young generations has helped Bat Trang to turn into colorful and lively world from just the village’s soil Traditional products Most of Bat Trang pottery products are produced manually which show the creativeness and talent of pottery craftsmen To make a pottery product, there must have several stages of the soil selection process and soil blending, create designs, and create patterns, enameled and finally baked products in the kiln The experience of Bat Trang is that “Firstly soil, secondly enamel and thirdly kiln”, which means the soil for pottery must be compressed to ensure the solid of products, the enamels (white enamels, blue enamel, brown enamel, cracked enamel) must be proper enough to make beautiful and products Due to the soil characteristics, shaping on pottery wheel with hands together the enamels, Bat Trang pottery products usually have following characteristics: thick, firm and relatively heavy, the white enamels are usually ivory Basing on the purposes of use, Bat Trang pottery can be classified as follows: - Household utensils: including plate, flower vase, bowl, flower pot, tea set, cup, box, vase, jar, jug… - Worship pottery products: including light holder, candle holder, incense burner, pottery tray and sword Among which, light holder, incense burner are the valuable items to the current collection, because on many items, there are details of name of craftsmen, homeland, date of production and name of customers Those are very special characteristics of Bat Trang pottery - Pottery decorations: including house model, pottery lamp, tiger statue, elephant statue, dragon statue, Di Lac statue, Kim Cuong statue Bat Trang pottery craftsmen think that pottery products are also alive organism, thus it should have harmonious combination between five factors: Fire, Earth, Metal, Wood and Water They should also express the soul and creativeness of the craftsmen All will harmonize to make well-shape, elegant, sophistication of craftsmen and craft products of Bat Trang pottery III Vocabulary Words and phrases to remember Pottery establishment foreman Dike signboard apyrous Forthright foundation proportion Moss politic center pottery producer Pottery kiln emigrate make contribution to Scholar yellow enamel vitality restoration manually compress talent pottery wheel firm utensil organism harmonious elegant sophistication red-yellowish enamel cracked white enamel sensitiveness Practice I Match each word or phrase in the column on the left with its meaning in the column on the right A utensil vitality B compress enamel a tiny leafy-stemmed flowerless plants b exhibiting equivalence or correspondence among constituents of an entity or between different entities c an implement for practical use (especially in a household) d leave one's country of residence for a new one emigrate e by hand harmonious f the property of being able to survive and grow manually organism g living thing that has (or can develop) the ability to act or function independently h squeeze or press together restoration 10 moss i any smooth glossy coating that resembles ceramic glaze j getting something back again II Fill in the blanks with one of the following words or phrases constantly foreman heritage equals emigrated scholars talent alive characteristics alive A…………of Nguyen family – named Nguyen Ninh Trang, whose homeland was in Truong Yen (Hoa Lu) stayed in Bat Trang and started with production of the first Bat Trang bricks 2 Regarding the origin of pottery in Bat Trang, there is another legend saying that in the Ly dynasty, there were three……………: Hua Vinh Kieu (or Cao), Dao Tri Tien, Luu Phuong Tu (or Luu Vinh Phong) Several pottery producers…………… here with Nguyen Ninh Trang family to build the pottery kiln, which was called Bach tho ward (White Earth) With the love and devotion to the career, generations of Bat Trang craftsmen have been………… creative to maintain and develop the traditional craft of their ancestors The bricks are used to construct the foundation for palace in Royal Citadel (if you have a chance to visit Thang Long Royal Citadel…………., you will see the foundation of more than 20m long, 0.7-1m high, 60cm wide which was constructed from two lays of bricks in forthright and well-proportioned way without any moss Those are all Bat Trang bricks) Most of Bat Trang pottery products are produced manually which show the creativeness and ………… of pottery craftsmen Among which, light holder, incense burner are the valuable items to the current collection, because on many items, there are details of name of craftsmen, homeland, date of production and name of customers Those are very special …………… of Bat Trang pottery According to this legend, Bat Trang pottery village is established during Ly Dynasty …………… to North Tong Dynasty before 1127 According to the legend, villagers in Bo Bat village (or previously Bach Bat –Yen Mo district – Truong Son – Thanh Hoa, now belongs to Yen Thanh commune, Tam Diep district, Ninh Binh province) had …………… in pottery for a long time 10 Bat Trang pottery craftsmen think that pottery products are also … organism, thus it should have harmonious combination between five factors: Fire, Earth, Metal, Wood and Water IV Questions for discussion What you know about the legend relating to the origin of Bat Trang pottery village? Speak about the traditional products of Bat Trang, and the characteristics of Bat Trang pottery based on the soil characteristics What you know about the producing experience of Bat Trang villagers, and the reasons of choosing the resettlement of Bo Bat potters? Speak about the glazes made by Bat Trang potters and the technique of glazing Make an introduction to the main steps of making ceramic and the most famous ways of decorating Bat trang pottery? V Using English Word classed: Nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc There are classes of word in English Look at the following example: A: What are you doing tomorrow morning? B: I am participating in an international seminar in the Hanoi Tower building so I’m quite busy These are classses of word: - Verb: am, are, doing, participating - Noun: seminar, Hanoi Tower building - Adjective: international, busy - Adverb: tomorrow morning, quite - Preposition: in - Determiner: an, the - Pronoun: I, you - Linking word: so Some words can take over other different forms of word depending on their usage in the sentence E.g: - How you view the chance of success? View is a verb in this sentence - The sun disappeared from view behind a cloud View is a noun in this case Exercise Read the paragraph and then say which class each underlined word belongs to Throughout thousands years of the history, Bat Trang has been a famous pottery village of Thang Long – Ha Noi In order to have a long and strong vitality, Bat Trang villagers should have a love with traditional pottery craft together with the career and sensitiveness to the art With the love and devotion to the career, generations of Bat Trang craftsmen have been constantly creative to maintain and develop the traditional craft of their ancestors The craftsmen Dao Van Can has created the art of cracked enamel of Viet ancient pottery, the craftsmen Le Van Can, Le Van Cam and Nguyen Van Khieu have made great contribution with their knowledge, experienced in restoration of enamel samples of ancient Bat Trang pottery Such performance and creativeness of the elder Bat Trang craftsmen as well as young generations has helped Bat Trang to turn into colorful and lively world from just the village’s soil VI Practical exercises Translation Translate into Vietnamese The good earth – Bowl-making village The road is black with coal dust while, all round, smoke drifts up from hundreds of brick kilns Men wheel bicycles laden with huge bundles of pottery towards the river, where small boats are waiting to carry Bat Trang famous wares to Hanoi With its atmosphere of smoke, dust, noise and sweat, the village feels medieval, its narrow lanes hemmed in by high brick wall, its yards crowed with kilns, worker, and pottery In stark contrast to the way in which they are produced, the wares themselves are both delicate and beautiful Today, over 80 percent of Bat Trang 6,000 or so residents are involved in the pottery trade, turning out everything from floor tiles to exquisitely crafted tea sets The village dates back five centuries, tracing its roots to potters from Bo Bat village in Thanh Hoa province These migrants chose the site of Bat Trang for three reasons: the capital of Thang Long lay just 12km to the northwest; the river allowed for easy transportation; and the site was a rich source of high- quality white clay Bat Trang, which translates as “bowl-making village” became famous for its bricks and for its bat dan, a type of bowl popular in the Red River delta Bat Trang was so well known that its bricks were mentioned in a folk ballad: One day I hope to marry you Then I will buy bricks from Bat Trang to build our house The village’s ceramics were finished with five types of glazes: iron brown, blue and white, ivory, moss green, and crackled The most typical designs, and the ones that are most popular to this day, involve a combination of white and deep cobalt blue By the19th century potters from Bat Trang had established the guild streets of Bat Su and Bat Dan (both of which translate as Ceramic bowl) in Hanoi’s Old Quarter Today, the products of this village are exported all over the world And unlike many of Vietnam’s traditional products, the bricks, bowls, tea sets and flowerpots of Bat Trang village are as popular with Vietnamese consumers today as they were five centuries ago Speaking -Your teacher will give you some pictures of Bat Trang pottery village Comment on those pictures - Put the pictures in an order of your choice then give a commentary on them Writing Here is a jumbled composition about what makes Bat Trang and its ceramics so special First read the paragraph then put them in the right order a Bat Trang’s literate workforce works with buyers from around the world The ceramics faculty of Ecole Superieure des Beaux-arts de l’Indochine opened in 1934 and today, the Hanoi University of Industrial Fine Arts offers courses in design and ceramic manufacturing Some graduates have returned to Bat Trang and possess the skills and ambition to compete internationally The Bat Tang ceramics market has become a showcase of these skills and a strong draw of tourist b In contrast to Chinese style of ceramics, with its sophisticated technique and designs and intense on perfection, the Bat Trang ceramics have more free flowing designs They are useful as well as purely decorative Bat Trang ceramics are warm, friendly, well-used and well-loved c Bat Trang’s fame grew mainly out of the special features of its ceramics: the use of white clay; the harmonious and original shapes; white, cobalt blue and white, and three-colored glazes; and the patterns of its products, particularly devotional wares Ceramics with crackled glaze are also a Bat Trang specialty d In a wider context, Bat Trang village (the first model village out of 83 craft villages in the communes around Hanoi) can be considered a typical case in the development of Vietnam’s traditional craft villages According to recent statistics, there are approximately 1,400 craft villages in the whole country In each village, between 600 and 700 households are typically involved in a particular craft As such, craft villages make a positive contribution to employment and income generation for the residents of each village and beyond The experience of Bat Trang in applying new technologies to further enhance development protection, could be a model for other craft villages throughout the country e Few outsiders realize however, that Bat Trang also boasts a long standing tradition of respect of learning From ancient statistical figures, there were 364 successful candidates to provincial, courtier and royal examinations Nine of them were doctors of literature and some of these names are inscribed on the stone stelae of the illustrious Temple of Literature in Hanoi Bat Trang inhabitants credit this yearning for culture and education as the basis of the high level of development of their craft skills Topic: Give a general introduction to Bat Trang village Student may choose some of these following aspects: - location of village - legends relating to the history of the village - main stages of making pottery - Traditional products of the village - Modern products Unit 5: Non Nuoc stone carving village I Pre-reading task Can you name some famous stone carving villages in Vietnam? Where is Non Nuoc fine art village located? When was the craft of the village established? Who was the founder of the craft in this village? What you know about the legend of marble? II Reading The stone carving village at Ngu Hanh The stone carving village has become an integral element of Da Nang in terms of economic, touristic, artistic and cultural benefits The future looks promising The name of the place is listed on the tourist map and among sculptors all around the world Yet, the beginning of the stone carving business in Ngu Hanh Son was a freak moment in history In early 16th century, waves of Vietnamese farmers and soldiers moved southwards across Hai Van, migrating to escape poverty or in search of the promised land Most were natives of the arid provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, and Quang Binh The mountain areas of Thanh Hoa particularly had their own grey limestone mountain ranges, smooth and veinless, easy to process but solid enough for construction purposes The province alone boasts of the presence of massive stone blocks Most of the ramparts, columns and pillars, statues in Dai Viet were made of the marble from Thanh Hoa This marble type was also well-known that it took the name of “ Thanh (Hoa) stone” People often mistake it for another word: slabs (=thanh) of beams, pillars and footsteps, available everywhere People residing on the mountains of Thanh Hoa had a long history of exploitation and processing of stones to build houses, mortars, roads, bridges, palaces and statues On their way southwards, some had stopped and settled at the foot of Ngu Hanh Son, despite the infertility and aridness of the land In the beginning, the village founders lived mainly on rice growing and fishing They also produced salt from the sea or collected mollusk shells hidden within the beaches to bake lime, exploiting stone only to produce ordinary utensils (mortars, pillars supporters, fishing net weights, watch dogs) In the early 19th century, the Nguyen dynasty started to build an imperial capital in Hue with luxurious palaces and temples The Court mobilized the best craftsmen in the country, including the most skillful stonemasons of Ngu Hanh Son, among them Mr Huynh Ba Chiem whose dexterity was much appreciated by the Court Because of his expertise and high intelligence, he was conferred the ninth-grade mandarin title at the end of his duty Back home, he started producing high-quality sculptures he had helped design in the imperial city One of his most famous works was a replication of a set of tea pot and cups he once saw in the capital His success marked a technical turning point because the teapot had a small curved faucet The whole set, including teapot, cups and tray, was a work of art requiring absolute perfection If a craftsmen can produce such a masterpiece, then surely he should be able to create other high quality items From then on appeared products such as sacred animal to place on the altars, atop roofs, gates and walls, and votive objects in pagodas, temples, and shrines, as well as jewelry At the time, the road from Hue to Da Nang had been cleared, facilitating trade and commerce Products from Ngu Hanh Son became known and exported throughout the country Living on the ancient land of Cham Pa Kingdom, the Cham culture was a great source of inspiration Cham sculptures had been spotted in rice field, mounds, at the mountain foot and inside the caves Further out, Cham stupas were lying in ruins The ancient Champa culture became deeply imprinted in the people’s mind When the French started a collection of statues to establish the Cham museum in Da Nang, many tourists wanted to purchase similar stone souvenirs Displaying Champa statues in living rooms became the fashion among French officials and rich Vietnamese connoisseurs and made people flock to the stone carving village of Non Nuoc Since there was no sandstone there, artisans had to buy it from Dai Loc Over time, many families specialized in the production of Cham sculptures Some artisans are now so familiar with the technique that they can produce a statue without even looking at the sample It is also they who designed different versions of famous Cham statues, introducing the Champa culture to the world The village has experienced various ups and downs over the years, especially during the war, when the craft seemed to have disappeared The industry became most prosperous when Da Nang’s tourism developed vigorously Today, the village has become the major stone carving center of Vietnam It is indeed fortunate that the community still lives in close harmony and protects the temple dedicated to their patron saint People still remember those whose became famous for their dexterity as well as for their moral values They know who designs what product, who specializes in Cham sculptures, Buddha or catholic statues, which families have long-standing traditions, and even the names of new residents who have quickly became eminent artisans or businessmen generating employment within the community Annually, the village organizes ritual ceremonies to honor and commemorate the forebears of the stone sculpture III Vocabulary Words and phrases to remember Integral element artistic sculptors stone carving freak escape poverty promised land arid grey limestone mountain ranges veinless solid boast of rampart massive stone block column pillar exploitation mortar infertility aridness mollusk shell imperial city luxurious mobilize stonemason dexterity expertise confer ninth-grade mandarin replication faucet work of art masterpiece turning point sacred animal facilitate inspiration mound stupa in ruin imprint connoisseur be familiar with ups and downs vigorously dedicate to patron saint eminent ritual ceremony forebear stone carving Exercises I Match each word or phrase in the column on the left with its meaning in the column on the right A B sculptor rampart a a craftsman who works with stone or brick b make ready for action or use infertility c an expert able to appreciate a field; especially in the fine arts d have a conference in order to talk something over mobilize stonemason e an artist who creates sculptures connoisseur f containing a great quantity of matter vigorous g skillfulness by virtue of possessing special knowledge h an embankment built around a space for defensive purposes massive confer i strong and active physically or mentally 10 expertise j the state of being unable to produce offspring II Fill in the blanks with one of the following words or phrases imperial city ninth-grade mandarin turning point massive stone block patron saint promised land ups and downs ritual ceremony work of art replication It is indeed fortunate that the community still lives in close harmony and protects the temple dedicated to their ……… The Court mobilized the best craftsmen in the country, including the most skillful stonemasons of Ngu Hanh Son, among them Mr Huynh Ba Chiem whose dexterity was much appreciated by the Court Because of his expertise and high intelligence, he was conferred the ………… title at the end of his duty 3 Back home, he started producing high-quality sculptures he had helped design in the…………… One of his most famous works was a ………… of a set of tea pot and cups he once saw in the capital His success marked a technical …………… because the teapot had a small curved faucet The village has experienced various …………… over the years, especially during the war, when the craft seemed to have disappeared The mountain areas of Thanh Hoa particularly had their own grey limestone mountain ranges,, smooth and veinless, easy to process but solid enough for construction purposes The province alone boasts of the presence of …………… In the early 19th century, the Nguyen dynasty started to build an ………… in Hue with luxurious palaces and temples Annually, the village organizes ……………… to honor and commemorate the forebears of the stone sculpture 10 The whole set, including teapot, cups and tray, was a …………… requiring absolute perfection IV Questions for discussion What you know about the history of Non Nuoc stone carving village? Make an introduction to Ngu Hanh mountain Speak about the distinguished features of Non Nuoc stone carving village How does the Cham’s culture have influence on stone carving craft of the village? Why has the village become the major stone-carving center of Vietnam? V Using English Omission of “the” The definite article is not used: - Before names of places, or before names of people - Before abstract nouns except when they are used in a particular sense: E.g Men fear death - After a noun in the possessive case, or a possessive adjective E.g the boy’s uncle It is my book - Before the name of meal E.g I like bread for breakfast - Before the names of games E.g He plays tennis - before parts of the body and articles of clothing, as these normally prefer a possessive adjective E.g Raise your hand He took off his coat Exercise Fill in the blanks with the definite article the if necessary 1……Da Nang authorities recently asked ……… Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to recognize…….Non Nuoc stone carving village as a national intangible cultural heritage ……… Scientific documentation for…… recognition has been completed for … craft village located at…… foot of the Marble Mountains in Ngu Hanh Son district’s Hoa Hai ward, according to Danang Today newspaper ……….typical and unique craft village to the south of …… largest central city has a proud history covering …… last 400 years These days it has a strong vitality and plays a vital role in promoting…… local cultural and social developments Elsewhere in …… country, many traditional villages are facing …… threat of falling into oblivion ……… founder of the village was craftsman Huynh Ba Quat from ……Thanh Hoa province 7 In …… late 18th century, he and others from his hometown brought their families to live in this village There is a place of ………worship here now dedicated to …… founding ancestors of ……… village, and ………villagers hold a special ceremony on … 6th day of …… 1st lunar month every year to honour their ancestors Initially, …… village’s craft products were made to serve …… daily lives of … local people, and included such items as …… rice mortars, …… grain grinders and …… tombstones 10 More recently, its product range has expanded and they are now considered to be some of ……… city’s highest value exports VI Practical exercises Speaking -Your teacher will give you some pictures of Non Nuoc stone carving village Comment on those pictures - Put the pictures in an order of your choice then give a commentary on them Writing Complete the following sentences e.g The artistic handicraft, as a valuable traditional profession of Vietnam, has a ……………… ⇒ The artistic handicraft, as a valuable traditional profession of Vietnam, has a long-standing history Besides the household utensils, the jewelry is very pretty, delicate and colorful, and there is a variety of statues ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… To maintain and develop their occupation, the Non Nuoc carvers are deeply aware of ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… The stone used is now sourced from ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… At first, stone carving was based on ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… Every day, in spite of the ups and downs in the life, the village is full of ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… With their skilful hands and love for the art, they produce ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… Non Nuoc stone carving village is a ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… Tourists will have a chance to explore ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… 10 The Marble Mountains are famous for ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… Topic: Give a general introduction to Non Nuoc stone carving village Student can choose some of these following aspects: - location - history of formation and development of the village’s craft - kinds of product - materials, stages of making product - famous artisans ... features of Dong Ho folk painting? What you know about Dong Ho village? What you know about Gio paper (usages and characteristics)? Make a comparison between Dong Ho, Kim Hoang and Hang Trong painting? ... Mr Nguyen Dang Che, two famous masters of Dong Ho folk painting, who are still living in Dong Ho village make these painting People believe that worship paintings have to have developed during... may choose some of these following aspects: - location of Dong Ho village - ancient name of Dong Ho - materials and printing technique - artisans in the village - regular markets - Dong Ho village